Getting Rid of Mac OS for Windows XP

I just purchased a MacBook two weeks ago (my first apple ever) and I am still learning the OS. My wife, however, wants the iMac but has no plans of learning Leopard. Can't argue with Apple's hardware design...and that's the only reason she wants the iMac. So, I bought her one yesterday.

Anyway, my plan is to install Windows XP on the iMac once I receive it. My concern is, if I use Boot Camp and successfully install and boot to Windows XP, can I format the OS X partition to NTFS and still be able to safely boot to Windows again or will I need to make other changes so my MBR is correctly configured for Windows?

OR

Can I simply boot from a Windows XP CD, reformat the entire hard drive to NTFS and install the OS or will the iMac not let me boot from a Windows XP CD?

If I am way out of my league, what is the best method I can do to be able to use the entire hard drive for Windows XP only.

To actually answer the question, yes, you can simply pop in a Windows disc and have it take over the entire drive, and so whenever you start up the Mac, it'll boot straight into Windows. No more OS X.

However, since you have yet to get the Mac, I would highly suggest you at least give OS X a try. Give it a whirl and you'll wonder why you hadn't switched earlier.

Plus, it seems kind of silly to have bought a Mac simply to end up using it for Windows only. There are plenty of PC manufacturers that have great design, Sony being one. You might be better off returning the Mac and getting a PC instead. It's also a good idea because you won't get any support from Apple if you wipe OS X off the drive, not to mention not have access to firmware and driver updates.

As Kash mentioned, HP and Sony make some great PC designs. Buying a Mac and not using OSX makes very little sense. Win XP is dated, and the advantage of buying new hardware is to run the latest OS (whether Windows or Mac OS).

Have you seen/shown your wife Dell's all-in-one? Personally, I think it looks much better than the iMac in outward appearance, and I think it has a couple attributes the iMac doesn't have. (like optional blu-ray and built in TV tuner) Of all the all-in-one's on the market, that would be my pic for a Windows PC. You should give it a look.

If she's really dead-set on an iMac, you should leave Leopard on it and let her slowly learn it. You can show her a few things here and there and I'll bet she'll eventually switch. To be honest, when I first got my MBP I was mostly into it for looks, but also a little for the OS. I installed XP thinking I would use it at least half the time. But, I made myself wait a week to install XP to force myself to learn OS X. I eventually did install XP, but I was hooked on OS X after that first week.

"Give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others"

Similar to fleurya, I got hooked on OS X on my MacBook. I installed Fusion on it for Windows but now I am barely using it. I showed it to my wife but she does not want to learn it.

I may be wrong but I don't think there are any other manufacturers out there that has a computer built in on the monitor. The ONLY reason she wants the iMac is because there is literally only ONE device. The monitor and computer are a single device. The only other devices she will have on her desk are her Apple wireless keyboard and mouse.

Thank you very much KASH for answering my question. I guess it will be pretty simple to set up the iMac for 100% Windows if it let me boot from a Windows CD.

There are many all-in-one PC options. These three are some of the most most popular. There's even all in one PCs built into LCD and plasma TVs for all in one home theater PCs. I listed these in order of my favorite in appearance starting with the Dell. Click the photos to link to the manufacturer website. I threw in a pic of the iMac for a comparative view. I'm sorry, but I just can't get over the "chin" on the iMac. I hope they chop it off or greatly reduce it someday.

"Give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others"

When I bought my first Mac, my fiance said she would never leave Windows. She said there was no way she could do everything she needed for her nursing classes without it. 8 months later, she bought a MacBook.

Man, I am way outdated with the latest trends! I had no idea those PCs exists. Thank you very much fleurya for providing great alternatives for me!

Well, you're not as far off as you think. All of these just came out late last year, though IBM has had an all-in-one for some time called the Netvista. I was never a fan of it though. Somone at work got one for their office and everyone was jealous, until it started breaking down constantly.

"Give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others"